An Out of Potty Experience

By Tyler

Annley is potty training.  That’s a big deal.  I don’t mean to brag, but she’s only barely 13 months old and she is a very fast learner.  To put things in perspective for our non-baby-bum-wiping readers, most toddlers don’t start potty training until around 18-36 months.  So maybe I am bragging just a little, but still.  It’s a big deal.

How do we know Annley’s ready for potty training?  She shows all the classic signs of a baby wanting to do something other than waddle around in her own mess.  What signs are those?  Well, they tend to range from subtle signs (like suddenly becoming fascinated in her parents’ own bathroom habits) to not so subtle (like squatting diaperless and going number one on the bathroom floor right next to the toilet).

Look, if you don’t have the stomach for this then you don’t have to keep reading.  Seriously.  We’re some proud parents here and it only gets more descriptive here on out so you’re going to have to make a tough decision, right?  Do you keep reading and possibly subject yourself to cute descriptions (or even pictures!) of gross bodily functions or do you swallow that knot in your throat and put your curiosity ahead of your gag reflex?

That’s what I thought.

Carmen and I bought Annley a potty yesterday.  As far as potties go, it’s a good one.  Carmen spent days poring over potty-oriented websites reading online reviews and made special notes on which potties were causing parents to high-five each other in teary-eyed rejoice.  There were a lot to go through.  It seems the market for potties is a tough one because there are potties with all sorts of accessories and alternative uses.  They seem to range in functionality from simply being a potty to being blessed with wheels and trunk space, though I wouldn’t recommend that one to any parent with enough sense to wish that their child’s waste spend as little time as possible travelling through the house.

We settled on a fairly simple potty.  It’s pink.  It’s stationary.  Considering its intended purpose, it wasn’t too expensive.  We even let Annley test it out at the store.  Not test it, really, because that would have been gross and very hard to explain to the store clerk.  But she did sit on it and seemed to be comfortable, which is always important when picking out a place to do your business.  We bought it and brought it home.  That was yesterday.

Carmen read that a baby-in-training should always be taken to visit their potty first thing in the morning when they wake up.  That made sense.  I think most people can testify from personal experience that the bathroom is among the first places they will visit when they wake up in the morning.  Morning came, Annley woke up, and Carmen took her out of her crib and into the bathroom where her potty was waiting.  The diaper was removed and a naked bum was strategically placed on the potty.  And then… And then… A grunt.  A deepened look of concentration settled over Annley’s face.  Another grunt.  Her face reddened from effort and then relaxed a little.  Another grunt.  But was anything happening?  Carmen peered into the bowl.  Oh yes, something was definitely happening.  Another grunt and then Annley looked up at Carmen and met her eye.

“Read?” Annley asked.  I told you – she’s a very fast learner.

I am sure there are questions being asked right now.  Questions like, “How do you know that Annley made the connection between going to the bathroom and doing it in the potty?” and “Why did you name the post what you did if she made it in the potty after all?”  And that’s when I tell you that I’m not done with my story.  You’re so impatient!

We were so proud and happy that we decided to let Annley run around diaperless for the next half hour while Carmen prepared breakfast.  Carmen verbally reminded Annley every few minutes to remember to use the potty if she felt the need to go.  She felt the need to go, but forgot to tell us.  One minute she was in the kitchen with Carmen, the next we heard her little voice calling out from the hallway to our bedroom.

“Oh no!  Oh no!”

She had tinkled.  Just a little, but it was obvious she wasn’t at all happy about her little mistake.  Carmen took her back to her potty where she happily finished her business.  Like I said.  She’s a very fast learner.

And you were worried I was going to post pictures.